State AA: Pack hits 5 HRs in win; Bravettes hit 4 in loss

May 25—HELENA — Glacier got through to Saturday and Flathead, well, the Bravettes certainly had a shot at it.

The defending champion Wolfpack slugged five runs while winning their one game Friday at the snow-delayed State AA softball tournament, handling Missoula Sentinel 12-2. They take on Helena Capital Saturday morning at 9, with a spot in the winner's bracket semifinal at 3 p.m. on the line.

Before that, Flathead hit four home runs in its opener and had Billings Senior on the ropes before the Broncs prevailed in their final at-bat, 9-8.

The Bravettes were then ousted from the tournament by Belgrade, 16-2. Details on that game were not available.

The tournament, which was supposed to be in Belgrade all weekend, will conclude Monday at the Belgrade Softball Complex. The loser-takes-third game will be at noon on Memorial Day; the championship will follow at 2 p.m.

Glacier 12, Sentinel 2

Ella Farrell sparked a seven-run fifth inning with a leadoff home run, and the game ended on Cazz Rankosky's three-run homer that activated the 10-run mercy rule.

In between Paishance Haller hit a two-run shot and Zoey Allen followed with a solo homer — meaning the Pack had four big flies in the inning.

Kenadie Goudette led off Glacier's first inning with a home run as well, and the Pack went up 4-0 on Olivia Warriner's two-run double.

Sentinel closed to 4-2 in the third inning, but the Pack pushed the lead to 5-2 in the fourth inning before getting their crooked number in the fifth.

Farrell allowed six hits, two walks and two runs in the circle. She hit two batters and struck out 10.

Sentinel 002 00 — 2 6 0

Glacier 400 17 — 12 15 0

Alyssa Hanninen, Ella Wingo and Nina Sammoury. Ella Farrell and Cazz Rankosky.

MISSOULA SENTINEL — Brooklyn Wright 0-3, Kennedy Dypwick 1-3, Sammoury 2-3, Haley Sellers 2-3, Hanninen 0-3, Wingo 0-0, Kai Gillis 1-3, S Goldbar 0-1, Sophie Olson 0-1, Makenna Thorson 0-1, Payton Taylor 0-0.

GLACIER — Kennedy Goudette 3-4, Nakiah Persinger 2-3, Rankosky 2-4, Emma Cooke 0-2, Farrell 2-3, Olivia Warriner 3-3, Paishance Haller 2-3, Zoey Allen 1-1, Khirsten Terrill 0-3, Karly Allen 0-0.

2B — Gillis, Sammoury, Warriner. HR — Goudette, Farrell, RAnkosky, Z.Allen, Haller. RBIs — Sammoury, Sellers, Rankosky 3, Farrell 2, warriner 2, Haller 2, Z.Allen, Persinger, Goudette.

Senior 9, Flathead 8

A walk, a single and an error on a Broncs' sacrifice bunt beat the Bravettes with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh.

The Bravettes started strong — Reece Conley hit a two-run homer and Olivia Nyman doubled and scored in the first inning — and came back after falling way behind.

Octavia Meyer hit a two-run double in the first inning for Senior and Riley Tryan hit another two-run double in the second and soon the Broncs were up 7-3.

Conley hit her second home run in the fifth inning, and Olivia Nyman made it back-to-back shots to cut the gap to 7-5.

That set up the sixth: Danica Hennell reached on an error and Kinsey Lake singled ahead of Brandt's bomb.

Then the Broncs broke through against Lacie Franklin, who'd thrown four scoreless innings before the seventh.

Flathead 300 023 0 — 8 8 0

Senior 340 000 x — 9 13 2

Rayvin Fisher, Riley Tryan (5) and Octavia Meyer.

FLATHEAD — Mackenzie Brandt 1-3, Ava Bessen 1-4, Reece Conley 2-4, Olivia Nyman 2-4, Laynee Vessar 0-4, Teghan Strauss 1-4, Macey McIlhargey 0-3, Danica Hennell 1-3, Kinsey Lake 0-1.

BILLINGS SENIOR — Kendal Sides 2-5, Ivy Runsabove 3-3, Viennah Meyer 1-2, O.Meyer 1-2, Madi Ban 1-3, R.Tryan 2-4, Isabella Dillon 2-4, Lilah Chapel 0-2, Sawyer Trahan 0-1, Payton Tryan 0-1, Portia Bryant 1-2.

2B — O.Meyer, Bryant, Tryan. HR — Conley 2, Brandt, Nyman. RBIs — Brande 3, Conley 3, Nyman, O.Meyer 3, Runsabove 2, Sides, Ban, Tryan.

State AA

May 24-25 Helena

(Tournament moved from Belgrade)

Friday

Helena 12, Great Falls CMR 5

Billings Senior 9, Flathead 8

Missoula Sentinel 12, Gallatin 10

Helena Capital 9, Billings Skyview 5

Billings West 8, Helena 6

Billings Senior 14, Missoula Big Sky 3

Glacier 12, Missoula Sentinel 2

Capital 10, Belgrade 0

Big Sky 9, Skyview 4, loser out

CMR 13, Sentinel 6, lo

Helena 11, Gallatin 3, lo

Belgrade 16, Flathead 2, lo

Saturday

All games at Helena Capital

Game 13: Billings West (16-3) vs. Billings Senior (13-6), 9 a.m.

Game 14: Glacier (18-3) vs. Capital (18-4), West, 9 a.m.

Game 15: Big Sky (19-3) vs. CMR (10-12), East, 11 a.m., lo

Game 16: Helena (10-12) vs. Belgrade (17-7), West, 11 a.m., lo

Game 17: Winner 15 vs. Loser 14, East, 1 p.m., lo

Game 18: Winner 16 vs. Loser 13, West, 1 p.m., lo

Game 19: Winner 14 vs. Winner 13, West, 3 p.m, semifinal

Game 20: Winner 17 vs. Winner 18, East, 3 p.m., loser fourth

Monday

All games at Belgrade Softball Complex

Game 21: Winner 20 vs. Loser 19, noon, loser third

Game 22: Winner 19 vs. Winner 21, 2 p.m., championship

Game 23: If necessary